Say Hello, Caitlin
by GoodisRelative
Summary: This is he 3rd and final story arc that began with Aftershocks and continued to Say Goodbye, Kate. Caitlin comes to terms with her life. Obviously in this AU, Twilight didn't happen.


Title: Say Hello, Caitlin

Author: Jenn Ukes

Rating: T

Summary: This is my 3rd and final story in this arc that started with Aftershocks, then went to Say Goodbye, Kate. You definitely need to read Say Goodbye, Kate to understand this story.

Author's Note: As stated above, this is the final story in this arc. I've taken Jethro and Kate to a place far from where they currently are in canon. Understand that now. This story definitely leaves canon in the dust. I wrote this pre-Twilight and obviously in this universe, it never happened. This one also sees Jethro and Caitlin together in the end (at least the end of the story, which spans many years). I refuse to have Caitlin and Jethro compromise their ethics and be forced together because we want them to be together, but they belong together in this story, at least. I have used time to mellow them both from where I left them at the end of Say Goodbye, Kate, because time has the tendency to mellow people and dull the sharp edges of pain and hurt.

Many thanks to Shannon for all her betaing throughout the series. Also to Claudia and Susan who helped beta in earlier sections. Your thoughts and encouragement were definitely appreciated! Also, thanks to Natasha and Kate for betaing this story.

And with that said, on with the story!

Kate walked out of the hospital with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to get here, Katie-girl," a decidedly male voice spoke from her car.

Kate was taken by surprise; she was too caught up in the pain and sadness of her recent decisions to care if anyone else was paying her any mind, or to pay attention to the parking lot around her.

"Malachi?" She blinked away her tears, startled to see him leaning against her car. Last she heard he had been on a deep cover mission half a world away in Iraq. He looked good; his raven hair reached his shoulders and blew free in the light breeze. His eyes were the same startling green she remembered, even if they held new shadows since the last time she saw him. Shadows were a byproduct of his business, as they once were hers.

"I came as soon as I got word," he explained, noticing the pain and tears in her eyes. "What's wrong? I thought your friend was out of danger."

"Oh, he'll be fine. The doctors all said he will make a full recovery." Kate nodded and sighed. "I just never expected this goodbye or how much it would hurt." Malachi had no trouble picking out the resignation in her voice, even though it was laced with pain.

"'This goodbye?' What is going on? What are you doing, Katie?" Malachi looked at her, surprised and confused.

"Just drive for now, Malachi. I'll explain later. I need to get out of here, away from the city. Take me home, I'll pack and we can go on a road trip if you have some time. I just need to get away from here," Kate pleaded with him.

Her voice and the fact that she could barely meet his eyes shook him. Complying with her plea without question, Malachi took her keys from her hand and did as she asked. They were in the Smoky Mountains by sunset.

Since Gibbs woken up in the hospital, he hadn't seen Kate. He voiced his questions, but everyone just avoided them. Ducky had explained how she had saved his life – Gibbs knew he had to thank her for that and explain his actions – but no one would tell him where Kate was.

Anton walked in to Gibbs' room two days after Kate had left and Gibbs had woken up. He signaled for Ducky, Abby and Tony to leave.

Gibbs asked his perpetual question. "Have you seen Kate?"

"Not in two days. Once she got word you were out of danger, she went back to NCIS and closed the case officially. She headed out with Malachi that same day." Anton told him as he closed the door to Gibbs' room.

"Malachi?" Gibbs questioned. That name had not been mentioned before and was not one of the eight who had worked the case.

"He is the other member of the team. He was on assignment in Iraq and just got the message. He'll help her through this. He and Katie are close." Anton moved over to Gibbs' hospital bed. He chose his words carefully, knowing the conclusions Gibbs would draw and childishly wanting to hurt him as much as Gibbs had hurt Katie.

It was only then, when Anton stood right beside his bed that Gibbs could see the repressed anger in the other man's eyes.

"You are lucky Katie cares so much for you or you'd be dead right now," Anton stated, his easy posture belying the harshness in his voice. "And not because you were shot. I'd kill you myself, except I know it would kill her. Her problem has always been that she cares too much. She had come so far after her second time with Manning. I was sure she'd be all right. Then you had to be the macho bastard and take off your vest. It was a simple request – wear the vest until she gave you the all clear sign. Katie told you her past, or at least some of it. You knew how the case was affecting her. Knowing the fragile state she was in and how much you seemed to care for her, I didn't think I'd have a problem in your compliance with the simple order. Even Tony didn't need any explanations. _He_ knew something was eating Kate _and_ wearing the vest would help her in some way. _He_ didn't need any more information." Anton started pacing, needing to work out some of his anger without killing the man in front of him. Gibbs was drugged enough to stay silent in the face of Anton's anger.

"Damn it, Gibbs! You saw how badly she reacted to Bradley and Malcolm's deaths! To ease her fears, to keep her sane, all you had to do was wear your stupid vest until she gave the all clear sign. But you couldn't do that. You had to take it off and then get shot. She had to save your ass _and_ relive her worst fears. But, you know something, you getting shot wasn't the only consequence. While you've been in the hospital, she cleared the case _and_ she cleared her desk. Her desk is empty and her letter of resignation that is sitting on your desk waiting for you." There was a cold fury in Anton's voice as he whipped around to face Gibbs again. At this pause Gibbs opened his mouth to defend himself, but Anton waved him silent as he raged on.

"Soon you'll be back in the office and you'll see the emptiness of Katie's desk. You will understand that she is never coming back. She's gone and she is going to stay gone. She said she couldn't handle any of this anymore. She'll never work in law enforcement again. Seeing you down took the last piece of her soul she had left to give. So I hope you are satisfied, Special Agent Gibbs, because you finally broke one of the best people I have ever worked with. She survived so much, but everyone has a breaking point. You were hers." With those words said, Anton left Gibbs to himself.

Ducky was the only one in the waiting room when Anton left. He knew Jethro better than anyone else at NCIS and even he was surprised at Jethro's reaction to Anton's words.

Ducky walked in to find Jethro silent, in shock and in denial.

"Where is Kate?" Jethro asked Ducky once he noticed him.

"Jethro, I know Anton told you she resigned." Ducky answered with a sigh. "She is gone."

"No. Kate would never run." He refused to believe it.

Abby walked in on those words. "Caitlin Todd left her letter of resignation on your desk. She left NCIS two days ago – once she was sure you were out of danger." Her voice, for the first time in all the time Gibbs had known her, held no emotion.

"No! She'd never run," Jethro repeated.

Abby was trying to play it cool and detached, but his denial flared her anger. "You stupid, ignorant bastard!" She spat out and then closed her eyes and regained her control. "Kate did run, in a way. But she didn't just decide to quit. Kate told me she talked to you. She told you why she left Crack's team. She told you that after this case she needed to find a balance, a self she could like. You and your stupid, selfish actions changed that. You drove her to leave; you and your need to be in control. So, I hope you are happy, Gibbs." Abby was pissed; her eyes were flashing. What he had done was inexcusable and wrong. .

"Abby," Ducky warned.

"What? You want me to sugar coat it? Well, too bad! I liked Kate. She was damn good at her job and she was fun to be around. I liked not being the only female on the team." Abby swung towards Ducky. "He needs to understand and accept the truth."

"I am sorry, Abby," Gibbs stated softly.

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to. It is going to take a while for me and McGee to find her, though, so you will need to learn patience," Abby told him, relenting in the end. Her anger had burned white hot, but it burned out as fast as it had come.

Malachi and Katie were enjoying the mountains. They hiked and drove down the Appalachians. He didn't push Katie to tell him all that happened or what exactly was wrong. He knew she would talk to him once she worked it out on her own.

They ended their two days of travel at a small cabin in the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. It was small and rustic, but it had running hot water and electricity. Kate's first thought upon seeing it was that Gibbs would love it, but she quickly and ruthlessly killed that line of thought. She was sitting on the front porch swing watching the sun sink and leaning on Malachi when she finally spoke.

"I killed Manning – a bullet between the eyes. I set him up and took him out. Gibbs, my boss at NCIS, had taken off his vest, though, and Manning had gotten off two shots. I don't know why Gibbs took off his vest. I had ordered them all to wear it until I gave the all-clear sign. One of Manning's shots hit him in the chest, near the heart. He damn near died. I waited at the hospital until the doctors were sure he was out of danger, and then went to NCIS and did all the paperwork to close the case. I went through a review – for shooting Manning, but it was just a formality. When I handed Director Morrow the closed-case report, I told him I was resigning. I cleared out my desk and left my letter of resignation on Gibbs' desk." Kate began her tale. Then, she twisted to look Malachi in the eyes. "I can't do this anymore. I can't handle another dead body because of me. Everyone I know is a target. I can't lose another person or put someone in danger simply because they know me or because of something I did in the past. And I can't handle another sniper mission."

Malachi was worried about Katie; the woman in his arms was not one he recognized. She wasn't a sniper, Katie-girl or Kate. The woman in his arms was haunted by a path that had chosen her. He would always be there for her, but he had no idea what, if anything, he could do to help her ease her pain or the shadows that haunted her now.

Her tears came suddenly, and he held her close as seven years of bottled up emotions came pouring out. One arm held her securely to his strong chest; the other gently stroked her hair and back. He whispered sounds of comfort and just let her cry. For now, until he finally understood what was wrong with her and what he could do to help her, holding her was all he could do. It seemed like hours to Kate, but it wasn't long before her tears began to slow.

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to get here, Katie. I was halfway around the world on a deep cover mission and only got the message three days ago. I came as soon as I could," Malachi whispered, still stroking her hair.

"You're here now, Malachi, and that is all that matters," Katie reassured him softly. "I needed the others to deal with Manning. I need you now." She had been so afraid that once she started crying, she'd never stop. She was afraid that the pain and emotions of years passed would simply swamp her and leave her drowning in her tears.

"I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't work in law enforcement anymore, but law enforcement is all I have ever known. I can't train them; the end result would be the same – my teaching would get someone killed." Katie sighed, wiping away the last of her tears. "I need to find a version of myself I can live with. I thought I might finally find a version I actually liked, but I'm sure now that I need to settle for one I can survive with. I wish I had some ideas, but I don't have time to think. I'm sure Gibbs will be looking for me, and Abby is a computer genius. Put her with McGee and it will only take hours to find me. I need to be on my own to find myself, Malachi."

"Don't worry about NCIS. I'll call in a few favors and you'll disappear. If you wanted, none of us would know where or who you were. You could be anyone, anywhere," Malachi told her.

"I want you to know, Mal. Maybe someday I'll tell the others. You'll let them know I am okay. I just need to find myself, but I can't let you go. You keep me grounded, Mal." Katie smiled softly at him, and then laid her head back on his chest. She fell into an exhausted sleep listening to the steady beat of his heart.

Kate spent a week doing nothing but hiking, eating and sleeping. She never slept through the night – she hadn't in the past either, but now she slept even less. At the end of that week, she came up with her plan.

"I am going back to law school," she announced at 0622 hours on Sunday when she returned from her early morning hike. "I don't care what you change my last name to, but I want my first to stay Caitlin. I wish I could go to George Washington Law, but I can't stay in Washington, D.C. Not Harvard or Yale either. Maybe NYU or Columbia. Berkley is a possibility, but I don't know about the West Coast." She continued on, thinking out loud. Malachi watched her eyes get a small spark and stifled his sigh of relief. Part of the woman he knew and loved was still there. "Boston University School of Law. Boston is perfect!"

Malachi smiled at her enthusiasm. "What are you thinking of practicing?"

"Well, being a public defender or prosecutor is definitely out." Caitlin thought a moment. "Maybe something with the AG's office, just not criminal."

It was lunchtime when he asked her. "Why law, Caitlin? You hated law school before."

"Because I know law. Because it will be a small comfort. Because now it doesn't matter what I love or hate, but what I can survive. And I don't think I could survive cutting out law completely," Caitlin answered as best she could.

"All right. After lunch I'll get on the phone and make it all happen. You'll start at BU Law in September. I'll find you a place, too."

"Don't bury me too deep, Mal. I want to be able to come out if need be. You will keep me informed about them all. I need to be able to move if one of you all needs help." Caitlin spoke suddenly, and then sighed. "I know it will make it harder, but I have to do it this way." Her eyes pleaded with him to understand. "And I want my apartment near the Charles River and the school – not too long a ride on the T, anyway."

"I do understand," he told her softly, and he truly did. "And I'll see what I can do about the apartment," he added with a wink.

Malachi stayed with her another week at the cabin and then she stayed two weeks by herself while he finalized her disappearance and new life.

She questioned nothing – she knew Malachi had connections and she had the money.

She liked her apartment; it was near the Charles River and the paths to run. A short ride on the T and she was at school. She took her time getting to know her new neighborhood in the two months before law school started.

After two years of Law School, Caitlin Andrews had learned to like her new life. Malachi kept her informed about everyone, and so far no one needed her help. She had one semester of Law School left – she had taken courses during her two summers and also worked her second summer with the Attorney General's office. She had been offered a job with the AG's office after she took the Bar.

Caitlin may not have been completely happy in her new life, but she was content for the most part. If she missed her past too much, she went for a long run and remembered the pain it brought her.

Now she was taking the criminal prosecution and defense class because the AG's office asked her to. She survived three classes involving a discussion on the rights of suspects and the evils of law enforcement officers before she lost her temper and her silence.

"Do any of you know what you are talking about? Have any of you been a suspect, been arrested? Been charged with a crime your parents haven't bought your way out of? Have you even talked with a LEO – a law enforcement officer? Other than to berate them, I mean?" She took a breath to calm herself and continued. "I am tired of hearing the bullshit you're all preaching when not one of you has any knowledge on the matter. I mean knowledge outside of OJ and Martha and Rodney King – if you are old enough to know who Rodney King is. What you hear on the news is never the straight truth; neither, for that matter, is what you read in a trial transcript. The facts are twisted to suit someone's skewed opinion of what they think happened or should have happened. This is a good discussion topic and it should be discussed, because there are faults and flaws in the system. But I don't want to hear what you have been told or what you see on the news. You need to gather the evidence before you can truly argue this topic."

After a few shocked moments of silence, one of the loudmouths of the class finally spoke up. "And you have this experience?"

What Caitlin wanted to snarl at him was "Four years as a Secret Service Agent on presidential detail and then a year and a half as a special agent for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Before that is classified and need to know. I can guarantee you that YOU won't ever have the need to know." What she actually said was simply, "Yes."

This time a person clearing his throat broke the silence that followed her words.

Caitlin didn't even have to look to know who it was. She sighed – it figured that HE would come today. Luckily it was the end of class and she could cut out in the crowd… except no one moved. She took yet another deep breath, packed her books and waited. She didn't have to wait long before he came down and stood before her. She met his eyes fearlessly. He was no longer her boss and his freezing eyes paled in comparison to her past.

"Special Agent Gibbs. Abby and McGee did well," Caitlin sighed.

"Kate…" Gibbs started.

Caitlin interrupted him. "Caitlin Andrews. Kate died when I left NCIS, or rather, she died with Manning."

For the first time since the shooting over two years ago, Jethro Gibbs looked into Caitlin's eyes and this time he truly saw her and not the part of an agent that she had played so well.

Jethro picked up her bag and asked, "Is there a place we can talk?"

"Follow me," Caitlin nodded. She led them to a favorite spot on the Charles River.

"So you found me," Caitlin stated, breaking the silence that had descended since they had left the law school.

"I thought you hated Law School," he said.

"Yeah, I once told Abby 'I did a year in law school, felt like ten years in prison.'" Caitlin agreed. "But I couldn't give up law completely." She let the silence descend again.

It was five full minutes before Caitlin broke it. "Why did you come looking for me Gibbs? As much as I love this spot and the silence, I am sure you came for more," Caitlin spoke softly.

"I've had lots of reasons as the months and then years passed. I needed to tell you thank you for saving my life, that I was wrong for taking off my vest, and explain why I did. Then there was the anger at you for leaving. I mean you left before there was anything – at least my ex-wives left after we ruined whatever we had. Mostly, I just needed you to tell me why," Jethro told her, finishing just as her cell phone rang.

Caitlin smiled at the caller ID. "Malachi! You're okay!" She cried happily into the phone. "You're safe? What is the damage this time?"

She listened and laughed. "Yes, Gibbs is standing right in front of me." Another pause. "No, it's okay. Really."

"Mal, don't think that I have forgotten that you haven't answered my question. How bad this time?" Caitlin listened intently. "Malachi, you need to stop. Teach them, train them, but YOU need to stop." Her voice was soft and full of worry. "I can't loose you, Mal. You know that. Of all of you, losing you would destroy me. Come here once you are released." Caitlin hung up a moment later.

"Damn you, Malachi!" She whispered, forgetting for a moment about Gibbs standing right next to her, as she put away her phone. "I can't survive this existence without you." Caitlin looked up, remembered Gibbs and had to smile at the look on his face.

"You want to know why I left? It was partly because I couldn't handle another body. I lost six good friends to Manning. You were almost seven. And it wasn't just the people I lost; I have twelve confirmed kills including Manning. Each one took a piece of my soul. I am certain that if I take another life it would destroy who I am. I'd be an empty shell of a person, without remorse. That's why I left Crack's team in the first place. Malachi understands how close I was to the edge, how close I was to losing myself. That is why I left law enforcement." Caitlin sighed. "But that wasn't why I left you. Part of it was you taking off your vest and in the process almost dying. But even before that, I was so sure everything was over when Manning was in prison. Then he was back. I had already let you, Ducky, Abby and Tony in, and that scared me. Manning had more people to use against me. You going down was my worst nightmare come to life." Caitlin paused, looking out over the water, giving her words time to sink in.

"You and I were a part of my decision, too. Of all of you at NCIS, you scared me the most, because I couldn't seem to keep you out. The others I could for the most part. But you, you were there no matter how hard I tried to keep you at a distance. I had let my guard down because I thought Manning was out of the picture, but I had years of practice in shutting people out. Yet, you just seemed to be there no matter what I did." Caitlin spoke quietly.

Gibbs remained silent.

"I can't go back, Jethro." She dared call him Jethro now because she was no longer an agent under his command or the person he knew. "I can't train or work as a LEO. I can't be responsible for sending people to their deaths" Caitlin rolled her eyes, adding "And after so much time as a LEO, I'd probably kill my clients if I was a public defender. I have a job working in the Attorney General's Office here in Boston after I take the Bar in February. This city soothes me, Gibbs. I can survive here. I am content here, which is all I can ask for anymore. I always know what is going on and if any of you needed my help, I'd be there in a heartbeat. But I need to stay here." She met his eyes then. "Your actions had so many unforeseen consequences – things I didn't even realize until recently. It was never your fault completely. This has always been my life. I get through it, so this will be no different. I just need more time. I need more time to get used to everything my life has become, Jethro."

She smiled, remembering the look on Jethro's face when she'd said Malachi's name. "Malachi isn't someone to be jealous of, either. We have never been romantically involved. We are like male and female versions of the same person, if you can understand that. We are the same, although our experiences are different. We keep each other sane. We can talk about anything; we can understand each other's reactions and we can ease the nightmares of the past. Our relationship is not easy to classify or explain – it just is. You can take it or you can leave me, because it is one thing that will never change. I would never do that to him and he could never hurt me like that. Mal told me I'd have to deal with you sooner or later, and I knew it too, but I need more time. I know that we have something between us that needs to be dealt with, but I know I'm not ready, because I'm not sure _who_ I am yet. I wish I could help or be more detailed or positive. I can't give you a time frame. The past has taken so much out of me that I need to deal with first, before I can truly move on and forward."

"I've waited over two years to find you. I can wait until you are ready, as long as you understand that you can always come to me," Jethro answered. "No matter how long it takes, you come find me. I don't care about Malachi or your past. I care about you, Caitlin."

"Why did you take off your vest?" Caitlin finally asked.

"The whole situation was bothering me and he hadn't shown in the six hours we'd been on scene. I was tired of being half in the dark and one step behind you and everyone else. I guess everything came to a head and I made a decision. It was the wrong one, but I didn't care at the time. I am sorry about what I put you through, though. I wish I could take back that one decision." He tried to explain his actions from that long ago day.

"Don't. Don't think like that, don't waste your life regretting it," she interrupted him. "You'll spend your life regretting things and before you know it, life has passed you by. You need to live, Jethro. Things happened for a reason. Maybe this is our way around Gibbs' Rule Number 12."

"You have to promise me that you will come talk to me face-to-face when you are ready. I don't want you checking up on me and deciding for yourself that you shouldn't interrupt my life," he demanded of her.

Caitlin smiled at him. "I promise to talk to you face-to-face when I am ready. Hey! What happened to your rule about never saying you're sorry?" Just then her stomach made itself known. Caitlin laughed. "How about I treat you to dinner?"

"How about you choose the place and I pay?" Jethro reworked her suggestion and ignored her question about saying he was sorry.

"All right!" Caitlin agreed and then headed out. "And you will answer my question about never saying you're sorry." She gave him "the eye" with a raised eyebrow.

His answer was patent Gibbs – since they were his rules, he could change them when it suited him.

Dinner was good as was the conversation. Gibbs brought her up to date on the NCIS team. Caitlin told him about her life in Boston.

Jethro left Boston that night.

Caitlin Andrews graduated from Boston University Law School a few months later. Malachi and Jethro were both there and took her out to dinner. Only Malachi stayed the night – he had important news for her.

"I took your advice, Caitlin, finally," Malachi told her after she let him into her place.

"You're going to train men and stop going on missions? About time, Mal! You cut it close," Caitlin smiled at his news.

"Well, you taking time out of your last few weeks of school to come rescue my sorry ass when you should have been studying for finals kind of brought the need home," Malachi answered.

"But you didn't need me to rescue you. You got out before I could," Caitlin reminded him and smiled again.

"Just knowing you'd be looking for me was enough to motivate me," Malachi told her and then turned serious. "I will not be the cause of losing you, Caitlin."

"Hey! No seriousness now. This is MY party!" Caitlin lightened the mood, knowing he was dead serious.

"I brought you a present," he said and took out a small, wrapped box.

Inside was a beautiful silver chain with a handmade pendant – both sets of her initials intertwined. The card read:

_You are who you make yourself._

_You are a blend of your past._

_Intertwine your life like these letters and_

_You'll find your future._

"This is beautiful, Mal, but it is from Jethro, not you," Caitlin stated softly, her eyes smiling. The necklace was not something Mal would give her. She marveled at the poet buried inside Jethro.

"He is right you know," Malachi told her.

"I know, Mal, I know." _Leave it to Jethro to try and hide the poet inside by such a bad attempt at deception. He had to have known she know exactly who it was truly from._ Then her eyes danced. "So what did you get me?"

Malachi just laughed at her and brought out a much larger box. Inside, Caitlin found three things: a small print from Egypt, a beautiful figurine from Ancient Egyptian mythology and a silver snake bracelet.

"Back into Stargate-SG1 reruns, Malachi?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "They are beautiful. Thanks, Mal."

Since Abby and McGee had found her, and she and Jethro were on good terms, Caitlin made sure that her records for law school, the bar exam and her new job were transferred to her real name.

Six months after she started her job with the Massachusetts' Attorney General's Office in Boston, Caitlin took a four day weekend and visited Jethro in D.C.

After that, if Jethro's work took him near Boston, he'd visit her. Every once in a while, Caitlin took a long weekend and visited him in D.C. Once they even met up in New York City. They talked on the phone and then more often on Instant Messenger – once Caitlin showed him how to use the program.

Caitlin Todd had been with the Massachusetts AG's office two years when she took her first "real" vacation. She took a week and a half off. She spent the first four days visiting her old sniper team and then headed to D.C.

Caitlin rested her head against the elevator wall, wondering yet again if she was doing the right thing by revisiting her past. She was still unsure about her decision to come here. When the elevator doors opened, it was too quickly for her taste. Settling on moving ahead with her plans, Caitlin stepped off the elevator. She had to smile at the forgotten, yet familiar, noise of the bullpen.

She had changed enough in her five years away that she was able to slip behind Tony unnoticed by him or McGee. A mischievous look bloomed on her face as she listened to Tony and McGee talking. Tony voiced some thought that was typical Tony and Caitlin laughed, making her presence known.

"After five years, one would have thought you might have grown up some, instead of regressing even more, Tony," Caitlin stated after smacking him in the arm for his sexist remark.

"Hey! Who do you think..." His voice trailed off as he turned and got his first look at who was behind him. He grinned as he recognized her. "Kate!"

"It's Caitlin now, Tony. And as much as I am sure I'll regret saying this, it's good to see you. Actually, and this is scary for me to admit, I missed you." Caitlin smiled and turned to McGee. "You, too, McGee."

"It's good to see you, too, Caitlin," McGee stuttered, surprised at her presence.

Tony had recovered from his shock enough to leer, "So, you missed me, huh?"

Caitlin just rolled her eyes and turned to Jethro's desk, smiling. "Hello, Jethro. I need to go down and say hi to Abby and Ducky and then I'll be ready for lunch."

"I need another ten minutes before I am ready to head out, so take your time," Jethro nodded.

"Tony, McGee, we'll talk tonight," she reassured them before heading back over to the elevators and down to the basement, leaving the two men stunned that she had called Gibbs Jethro.

Lunch was good. They caught up on the last month and Jethro told her the plans for dinner that night.

Later that night, Jethro watched Caitlin as she explained the last five years to Tony, Abby, Ducky and McGee. He had to smile at her. She might have started out this journey searching for a version of herself that she could live with, but he was pretty sure she had found one she liked. And she didn't even realize it yet. He didn't think it would be too long before she moved back to D.C.

"What were you smiling at earlier, Jethro?" Caitlin asked, once the rest of the group had left. "You were starting to scare Tony and McGee."

Jethro smiled at her words. "It seems that you found what you wanted – a you you like" he told her.

Caitlin just looked at him, surprised. She didn't think about that anymore.

Jethro's words stayed with her the rest of the night, keeping her awake. For the first time in almost five years, she forced herself to analyze her life. As dawn broke over the city, Caitlin ran the memorials and realized that Jethro was right. She'd found more than a version of herself that she could live with; she'd found one that she truly liked.

When she went back to Boston at the end of the week, Caitlin started searching for a position in D.C.

Three months later, she flew in for an interview with the Attorney General's Office but told no one about it. She didn't want to jinx it and she wasn't ready to tell Jethro about it yet.

She went back a week and a half later for a second interview. It was only then that she even visited her friends at NCIS HQ, treating them to lunch before she flew back to Boston. Still, she told no one about the second interview. She took the job a week later.

Five and a half years after she left D.C. and her old life, Caitlin returned. She spent Sunday unpacking a few of her suitcases in her hotel room. She was staying in a hotel room until she found a place to call home. Caitlin hadn't realized just how much she had missed D.C. until she was back to stay.

She took that first week to settle herself into her job. No one was aware, yet, of her job change or the fact that she was in D.C.

On Saturday afternoon, Caitlin drove over to Jethro's house and took a deep breath to settle her nerves before ringing his doorbell. She knew he was home – his car was in the driveway.

"Coming!" Jethro called out, annoyed at the interruption. He was working on his boat for the first time in weeks.

Caitlin had a speech all worked out to tell Jethro about her new job and moving to D.C. She wanted to tell him that her life was finally in order and if he was still interested, she'd like to try moving beyond friends, to explore what was between them. But, when he opened the door, she forgot everything she meant to say. Instead, she just smiled a hello at him and then kissed him. She poured all her feelings into that first kiss and let that speak for her instead.

Jethro stood stunned in the doorway for half a second before his brain responded by pulling her close and taking control of the kiss.

"I'm home to stay, Jethro," she whispered when she could speak again.

He smiled at her and pulled her fully inside his house. "Hello, Caitlin," he spoke as he shut the door.

Quote from _Hung Out to Dry_


End file.
